How to Use PivotTables and PivotCharts in Excel

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool used for data analysis and management. One of the most powerful features Excel provides is the use of PivotTables and PivotCharts. These tools enable users to summarize large amounts of data quickly and efficiently.

Understanding PivotTables

A PivotTable is an interactive way to quickly analyze large amounts of data. It allows you to organize, sort, and summarize data in a workbook. You can use PivotTables to gain insights and report on that data in various configurations. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use PivotTables in Excel.

Creating a PivotTable

1. Make sure your data is organized into columns with headers. For example, if you have sales data, you should have columns like Date, Product, Salesperson, and Revenue.
2. Select any cell in the data range you want to analyze.
3. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
4. Click on the PivotTable. A new window will pop up.
5. In the Create PivotTable window, make sure the range of data is correct. Choose whether you want the PivotTable in a new worksheet or an existing worksheet.
6. Click OK. A blank PivotTable will appear in the location you selected, as well as the PivotTable Field List.

Organizing Data in a PivotTable

In the PivotTable Fields list, you'll see four areas: Filters, Columns, Rows, and Values. These fields allow you to organize and summarize your data, as described below:

• Rows: Drag the field here to display each unique value from that field on its own row.
• Columns: Drag a field here to display each unique value from that field in its own column.
• Values: Drag the field here to display a summary value, such as a sum or average. Excel usually sums numeric values by default.
• Filter: Drag fields here to allow you to filter the data. For example, you can filter sales data by year or salesperson.

By dragging fields into these areas, you can quickly rearrange your data to find the information you need.

Example: Analyzing sales data

Suppose you have a dataset of sales records. The dataset contains fields such as Date, Product, Salesperson, and Revenue. Here's how you can take advantage of a PivotTable:

1. Drag Salesperson to the Rows area. This will list all the salesperson in your dataset vertically.
2. Drag Revenue to the Values area. By default, this will sum the revenue for each salesperson.
3. You can also drag the product to the column area. This will split the revenue for each product for each seller.

With this configuration, you can see which salesperson made the most sales, which product brought in the most revenue, and so on.

Customizing your PivotTable

Excel allows you to customize your PivotTables to better present your data.

Change value field settings

You can change how values are calculated in the Values area. Simply click the arrow next to a field in the Values area, and then click Value Field Settings. You can choose different options such as Sum, Count, Average, Max, Min, Product, and more.

Formatting numbers

In a PivotTable, numbers can be formatted just like any other Excel data. For example, you might want to display revenue numbers as currency. In the Value field settings, click Number Format to adjust how the numbers are displayed.

Data Grouping

Grouping can help narrow down a PivotTable and show data in a summarized way. For example, if you have a field with dates, you can right-click the date value and select Group. Options such as Month, Quarter, or Year can help roll up data into larger time frames.

Data Sorting

To sort the data, click any value in your PivotTable, and then go to the Data tab and click Sort A-Z or Sort Z-A.

Understanding Pivot Charts

A pivot chart is a graphical representation of a pivot table and provides a visual way to quickly understand your pivot table data. Here's how to create and customize a pivot chart in Excel.

Create a PivotChart

1. Click any cell in an existing PivotTable.
2. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
3. Click PivotChart. Choose a chart type that best suits your data presentation needs (e.g., bar, line, pie).
4. Analyze and format charts using the chart tools available in Excel. You can change the chart style, add a chart title, labels, and more.

Analyzing with Pivot Charts

Pivot charts provide a dynamic graphical representation of your data. Like pivot tables, any changes to the pivot table data or structure will be reflected in the pivot chart. You can use features such as filtering and sorting directly from the chart to adjust the visible data set in real time.

Interactivity and Slicers

Slicers are an interactive tool that makes data filtering in PivotCharts more obvious and user-friendly. Once a slicer is added:

1. Go to the PivotTable Analysis tab.
2. Click on 'Insert Slicer'.
3. Select the fields you want to use for filtering and click OK.

Slicers will appear with clickable buttons. Clicking the button immediately filters the data in the PivotTable and then the PivotChart.

Advanced use of PivotTables and PivotCharts

PivotTables and PivotCharts are advanced tools that provide more than just basic functionalities. Here are some advanced techniques that can be leveraged.

Calculations using calculated fields

If you need further data analysis, Excel allows you to create calculated fields. To add a calculated field, go to the PivotTable Fields List, click Fields, Items, and Sets, and then choose Calculated Field. Enter a name for the field and create your formula using the fields within your PivotTable data.

Using multiple tables

If your data resides in multiple tables, you can use the Data Model feature to link tables and analyze data from multiple sources. When you insert a PivotTable, check the Add to Data Model option. This will allow you to use a relationship-based approach across multiple datasets.

Conclusion

Excel's PivotTables and PivotCharts are invaluable tools for efficiently analyzing and presenting data. They provide flexibility and power to those who leverage these features effectively. By understanding how to create, use, and customize these tools, you can better manage large datasets and gain insights that support data-driven decision-making processes.

Continued exploration and experimentation with PivotTables and PivotCharts will ensure that you unlock the full potential of this robust Excel functionality.

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